Running Talk: Long Run, Marathon Plans, and Strength Work (natural butt lifter)

I woke up this morning with that tight and kind of sore feeling in my body from doing some strength work yesterday.  I've been trying to add some sort of strength circuit work into my week.  Sometimes it means breaking it up into shorter workouts over multiple days but I'm sticking to my goal and my body is happier for it--at least it's looking more defined.  It's not all about the definition though--it's about being stronger! Stronger = healthier body for running.  The ab, arm and leg definition is nice too!  Ha!  Especially the slight butt lift from the squats and lunges.

After the NYC Marathon this weekend, emceeing the Happy Girls Half and 5k, and starting to read about people's fall marathon training starting, I opened my eyes today with a bit of a marathon training itch. A very subtle itch but stronger than my desire yesterday and over the past weeks.  This is a good thing since I'm pretty sure I'll be in Boston in April to run the marathon.  Having the DESIRE to at least put in the mileage that it takes to run a marathon (and not hurt yourself) makes a huge difference.  Desire...Motivation..Drive...this is a HUGE piece of the puzzle when it comes to training for a marathon.  Glad to smell that desire just a bit more today.  I hope it grows!

Long Run Tuesday
Speaking of long runs and marathons, I'm heading out there today for a long run. Long run for me right now will be anything over 10-12 miles.  I'd like to shoot for 13.1.  Why not? Then I can say I ran a half marathon today.  I might die though.  Instead of making it all trail, I actually want to get out on a flatter stretch of road for a change.  I want some sort of time test (even just a 2-3 mile tempoish portion of my run) to let me know where I'm at with running fitness.  Gaging my time on the trails just doesn't work for accuracy.  I'm not sure what to expect with pace since I don't pay much attention to it anymore.  I know I won't be finding 7:30 pace easy right now but I certainly hope for some 7:40s to 7:50s when I try to pick up the pace and focus on form.  I predict my base easy pace on road right now would fall somewhere between 8:00 -8:30 pace at this point.  But really, I don't know.  We'll see today!

What I'm most excited about for running longer today:

• Time to think and get some ideas flowing
• Endorphins and Energy
• Inspiration
• Help with building endurance base
• That overall tired but satisfied feeling that can't quite come from anything else

Post Run Picture (added later of course):  

Yes yes yes to a Tuesday Half Marathon Run!  First 5 miles on river trail and rest on road for a change.  Mostly easy with some faster (for me right now) miles in middle and a pick up at very end.  Add on about 1:30  to make up for a few 30 second stops to stretch (and breathe between pick ups..ha!)  Woowee, a 7:2x mile doesn't feel like it did in spring!  Slowly but surely!  So thankful for running and endorphins!  8:04; 8:34; 8:33; 8:28; 8:46; 8:17; 7:26; 7:23; 7:53; 8:11; 8:22; 8:16; 7:54; 7:39 for last little bit.  

Marathon Plans

I'm still flipping through books trying to decide on a plan for marathon training.  Right now, Pete Pfitzinger's 18 week Advanced Marathoning plan is at the top of my list.  I've also heard from some of you about the Greg McMillan plan.  And a few of you have emailed about the Hanson plan--not sure what to think about this one.  I think no matter what plan I go with, I will tailor it to me and I will follow it loosely.  Byron Powell, author of Relentless Forward Progress, also has a loose plan (mostly about logging mileage) for ultra marathon training.  So, that is the other one on the table.  The final option is just to log 50ish miles a week and make my own plan up as I go as long as I'm remembering to have a long run and some tempo/faster paced/marathon paced stuff in the mix.  After 20 plus years of running and racing, I think I'd be just fine with an Amanda Plan!  I have plenty of time to mull over these options and even stay open to others  It's only November!  

Next Post:

Much to say in the next post about how being an emcee for a race changed my perspective about a few things.  It definitely gave me an entirely new window from which to see the FINISH LINE.  Wow.  I left inspired and energized by each and every finisher that crossed the line (all 4 plus hours of the half marathon).  There were some especially cool stories and moments from the day... a team running in honor of their friend/wife/mom that died this year, a familiar name and Runninghood friend/reader that came to say hello (she's all the way from MN!),  seeing moms in the community that I know from school, watching little kids run up to their moms to run them in... and lots more!  Excited to write about it.  

Okay, about that long(er) run!  I'm heading out.  I'm still new to Bend so here's to finding a good piece of road to explore.  

1.  I'm still open to hearing your input about marathon plans you'd recommend.  
2.  What's your "LONG RUN" distance right now?  
3.  Do you prefer training for races:
a). Year- round (always want to have something on your race calendar to keep you going)
b).Summer (for a fall race)
c). Fall/Winter (for a spring race)
d). None of the above.  I just like to run to run without an specific training.

Amanda

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Advanced Marathoning It Is!

I'm feeling a blog post in me.  It's there.  Right on the surface.  Quite a bit going on in my head actually and I can't seem to decide if I feel like expressing myself on a deep level right now or keeping this light and breezy.  I have even been tagged a couple of times in a blog post going around where I am supposed to tell you some random things about myself and answer some questions.  Don't worry Lindsay and Beth, I haven't forgotten.  I've just been a little mentally tired.  Perhaps this kind of "busy head" calls for a random bulleted post instead of a well thought out "beginning middle end/deserves a title" post.  Bullets it is!  

• I'm officially starting the 12 week marathon plan in this book above.  Yes, yes, I know...I was reading the book Run Faster by Brad Hudson and planning on using one of his plans.  However, I was just feeling a bit lost.  I hadn't even completed a full week of his training because at the beginning I was base building, then I switched things up so that I could try out a 10k, and then I was injured and now I just need a fresh start.  It works out perfectly.  Pfizinger happens to have a 12 week plan which means this week is a perfect week to start since it was 12 weeks to Boston.  I also love the way the plans are laid out and I'm finding the book very easy to breeze through.  Even his writing voice seems to click with me.  Plus, I hear lots of good things about it from others so this makes me happy. There are so many great plans out there and all of them should get you to your marathon ready to race.  For me, it meant finding something that just "felt" right.  I'm a feelings kind of person and this feels right so I'm going with it and not looking back.  Now if I can just stay injury free then I'll be all set!  
• Injury.  Thankfully, my strains were not too serious and I haven't lost much time.  I caught them before they turned into a monster of an injury.  They feel much better right now even though I'm aware that I still need to be careful and continue to strengthen those areas and keep going to see the doc (more on this in another post too).  Unfortunately, the other side of my body has taken a hit as I mentioned in some of my previous posts.  I've still been feeling some pain and tightness but the past couple of days have felt really great. 
• Being able to run 8 miles today at a relatively normal pace without too much discomfort (except for this weird foot pain that I won't even bore you with) felt so wonderful.  
• Tomorrow I will be doing a threshold run of 10 miles with 5@15k-half marathon pace.  Not sure what that 5 miles will look like until I'm doing it.  I will go by how my body is feeling.  If it gives me the green light then I will GO GO GO with it.  
• I should still hit 50-60 miles this week despite my bumps.  I'm thinking that sticking to the 55-70 range for the duration of my training will be smart.  No need to go a bit higher.  I'll even take it down if I need to.  
• I'm not sure of my goals for Boston.  Honestly, I will need to really think about this one.  There is a lot that goes with this and I might be addressing it in another blog post.  For now, I'm going to keep my priorities straight, focus on keeping my body healthy, enjoy running because I love to run, train hard, keep things in perspective so that I don't lose sight of the life all around me that is so much more important than running and just enjoy the process.  

There are so many things I'd love to write about right now. But my bed is calling me.  Gotta get up early to fit my run in since my son is no longer taking naps and the chances of him doing anything remotely calm and quiet for the length of time it would take me to run 10 miles is just hilarious.  

Thank you for all the e-mails, personal comments, and overall support I've felt from so many of you lately.  I know I've been really lame at e-mail and blog reading but thanks for understanding.  

Happy Wednesday,
Amanda

All Things Running. And Racing Rules...Do You Follow?

Does it get much sweet than this after a running a marathon?!  

After a five hour car ride from Northern Washington and spending three to four hours driving around a marathon course cheering my husband on, filling water, blasting music (since it was supposedly a no-ipod race), and trying to entertain bored kids, I was definitely in need of a good run tonight!  But all I really wanted to do was wax my mustache and unibrow, take a shower, grab a beer and veg out to some mindless television show or catch up on blogs.  


I am so glad I went on a run!  I wasn't expecting the energy that I found. Instead of the forced four mile run that I was going to try to "fit in" instead of my 12 miles with 8 at marathon pace, I was transfixed by the life sized moon and the strawberry mango sunset that awaited me.  I ended up being pleasantly surprised with 6.5 miles with three of them at a somewhat marathon pace:
Mile 3:  7:45 mostly uphill.
Mile 4: Mix of hills 7:18
Mile 5: 7:19 last half of this one was a pretty big hill!  


I returned as one sweaty, happy lady!  And ready to hydrate!  Water. Beer. Water.  

Friday's Tempo on Treadmill (shortened due to time):
incline on 1.0
.5 warm-up
1 mile @ 7:04 pace (8.5 setting on TM)
1 mile @ 6:59
1 mile @ 6:54
.5 recovery pace
1 mile 7:04
1 mile 7:04
.5 cool down


The Hubby's Marathon

Yes, as I mentioned in the caption at the top, it really didn't get much better than this today.  That's why I had to include this picture more than once.  Our three kiddos were so proud of their daddy after he finished his marathon!  As they should be.


As most of you already know, my husband ran his first marathon mostly untrained on July 4th.  He was training for a 5k and his longest run had been a half marathon 3 months earlier.  He decided to jump in the race with me and see what happened.  What happened was that he ran a 3:24 and stuck with me every step of the way and was strong all the way to the end!  


This is what made us think that he should try to Boston Qualify so that we could run Boston together.  Since he is 32, his qualifying time this year is 3:10.  Waylon had 8 weeks to train but was confident that it would be possible.  Out of those 8 weeks, he spent one week under-rested and over trained, one week of injury and rarely ran over 40 miles a week due to work, being a dad/husband, and being part of a leadership development program.  Oh, and his rib went out of place the day before the race and left him in pain even when he woke up this morning to run.  But we were still betting that he would do it!  

Mile 14.  Restocking his water.  

No BQ this time but MAN, I'm proud of him!  3:20:03 (unofficial).  And a learning experience.  Another marathon under his belt to make him that much more determined and focused on the next one!  I'm sure I could write a race report for him that would be as if I ran it since I was there for so much of it....driving around, playing music, handing him water, and cheering him on....but I'll spare you the small details and just leave you with the picture and words that he posted on facebook today:

"I learned a few things today.

1. 8 weeks of training isn't long enough for me to knock 14 minutes of my marathon.

2. It is more fun to run a marathon with Amanda and music than without

3. Head winds and super flat courses are not ideal.

4. My family is awesome and they are great supporters.

5.Amanda is a badass to beat her BQ time by 16 min.  I did NOT pay him to say this.  :)

6. Beer is good (ok, I knew this already) but it is really good after 26.2"

Race and Running Rules.  Do you Follow??
Okay, I'm just a little irritated here. I'm usually not a person to get all caught up on pet peeves and dwell on the negative things but this one kind of gets me fired up.  Here's the deal, this marathon that my husband just ran was one that banned ipods or music devices. NO MUSIC/EARBUDS!  My husband knew this going into this thing and he also knew that it would make the race harder for him.  But he trained without music and prepared to follow the rules.  Now here's the thing, if there are going to be rules put into place for a race like this, I think they need to be enforced and followed or it just isn't fair for everyone...not a fair playing field in my opinion.  The winning woman ran a 3:14 or something like that and she came into the finish line with her earbuds in for all to see and NOBODY cared!  What?!   I understand the rules are for covering their own butts in case someone gets hurt from the traffic and open roads but is there an unspoken "rule" that you can break the rules at your own risk?  Or can people get disqualified for not following this rule?  This is why he didn't break the rule...he figured it would really stink if he did BQ and then got disqualified for using music.  I was just a little annoyed that so many runners went without music because it was stated very clearly and boldly that music was not allowed and some just went ahead and did what they wanted with absolutely NO problem.  So those that followed the rule, ran this race without music that could have helped them on those open roads with very few supporters. And those that didn't follow the rules...well, they enjoyed their music and ran their race just as they wanted...despite the RULES.  This just bugs me. I think that if they are not going to enforce a rule like this then they need to state in the fine print: use music at your own risk. 


Inspiration
When I was at a stop in Washington on my way home, I heard about Ana Maria's 30k this weekend and I went from being drowsy and bored at the wheel to being all CHARGED up and inspired!  After a week of mileage in the high 70's, AM raced an amazing 18 plus miles on tired legs and hills in an incredible pace.  Gosh AM, you motivate me!  Keep on sharing your running life with us!  


So, how's this for getting back to running in the Runninghood?!  


Do you break the racing rules when it comes to running with music?  Do you think these rules should be enforced or do you think that it should just be an unspoken rule in running culture that it is okay to use your ipods anyway?  

Dreaming Big Dreams and Sharing Them With The Universe

“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”  Shel Silverstein

I know that I use the Shel Silverstein quote quite a bit but I think it really says it all.  

“Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.”  Karen Ravn

I guess you can say that I've always been a dreamer.  I've always dreamed big for my life and believed that our dreams really can become reality.  For most of my life, I've had a pretty clear idea of what I want to accomplish and I've been confident in what I need to do to get to where I want to be.  I can honestly say that so far, all my dreams have come true.  

A big part of seeing my dreams unfold has been my belief that anything really is possible.  I've focused on blocking out the naysayers and the negative Nancys in life and instead, I've believed in myself and been blessed enough with loving support and encouragement from so many dear friends and family that believe in me.  

It is just recently that I've realized the power of sharing my dreams with the universe and sharing them with confidence and belief that anything is possible.  It is easy to feel scared to put our dreams out there for all the world to see.  This can make us feel vulnerable, scared of looking like fool if we fail, and scared of seeming silly to others.  There are always those people out there that probably enjoy seeing others fail or those that feel better about themselves when they make others feel silly about their dreams but I believe that there are many more people out there that are truly joyful and supportive about our dreams and want to see us achieve great things.  In fact, I think that it is when we finally put our dreams out there on the line for all to see, that the magic starts happening and our dreams begin to become reality.  

As vulnerable as it sometimes feels to put my big life dreams out for everyone to see, I'm going to take my own advice and put a few of my life goals out there!  I also know that our big dreams today might end up changing tomorrow, next year, or many years from now.  That is part of the fun of dreaming big....anything is possible and a dream doesn't have to bind us down....dreams can come and go.  

So, here are some big dreams of mine, long long term and shorter term:

1.  I'd like you all to meet Little Cherie Lynn. 

She is the main character in the children's book that my Mom and I are writing and illustrating.  My Mom is obviously the illustrator (I can't do art like this) and I will write the story.   My big goals for the next couple of months is to read read read about the steps I need to be taking to put this thing together and send it off to publishers.  Once we get the story and pictures together, the trick will be the packaging and presentation...oh, and connections are NICE so please, if you know any tips or contacts, please please send them our way!  I think a dream has to start somewhere and so this is our start!  There is a small part of me that has those doubts that start to seep in my brain but I've got to keep shooing them away and remind myself that "anything is possible child, anything can be."

2.  5 year goal:  Start a nonprofit business focused on parent education and early literacy education.  I especially want my focus to be on helping struggling families in lower socioeconomic areas who are without resources, education, etc.  I think that it is never too early to start reading to our children and helping parents know how to help their children thrive with early literacy.  One of my ideas (an one that my friends has also had and started taking action on) is the idea of having a packet to hand out to new mothers at the hospital that includes children's books and material for parents about things they can do with their child to help them get a good head start with literacy.   Not sure how this dream will unfold but I think just putting it out here for all of you to see is a start in the right direction.  

3.  10-20 year goal:  Open my own children's bookstore.

Here are just a few of the many books on my shelves that you might find in my bookstore:

4.  Recent Running Goals:  Okay, I'm going to say it.  After my hamstring injury I spent a lot of time on the couch.  I had plenty of time to cry but more time to DREAM Big and boy did I have an appetite for some comeback action.  I started dreaming bigger than ever before.  I couldn't even walk normally but I told my husband that I was going to break 3 hours in the marathon.  Ha! Ha! Okay, so maybe I was getting ahead of myself.  Especially since that would mean a 22 minute PR.  Talk about dreaming big.  I had it all figured out as to what I would have to do, the training I would do, and I really had myself believing that I would and could do it.  Maybe someday but my dreams have already changed..see, that's fun about dreams....you can dream them up and sit with them for awhile and then take a new direction.  Yes, a sub 3 would be wonderful but for now, I'm thinking just running another 3:22 would make me happy!  Very happy.   I'd like to do at least one Marathon this year that I really train for.  I've never really followed a plan seriously besides the one I was training for in October when I ripped up my hamstring.  I dream of running the New York Marathon and Boston Marathon over the next 3 years.  

5.  Ironman.  Enough said.  A dream for another day.  

1.  What are some of your BIG dreams?  I'd love to hear a 1, 5, or 10-20 year dream!


2.  Do you get scared to share your big dreams with people? You know the goals you have for yourself that are most near and dear...do you ever get scared that others might think they are silly or beyond you?  


3.  Who are your most supportive people in your life...the ones that make you believe that "anything is possible child, anything can be"?  


4.  What is your favorite book?

Amanda

Books That Speak For Themselves!

Let the reading begin!  Gosh, I LOVE books!  I'm so excited to get these beauties in the mail today.  Thanks to ERG and Jill from Run With Jill for the great suggestions.

Oh, and I do plan on getting to some of your blogs today.  So many of you have left such thoughtful comments and I want to make sure I have time to come visit your blog and give you the same thoughtfulness so please don't think I'm just being rude and ignoring you.  Just trying to fit it all in between taking care of my kids, running, and you know, life.  :)

Have you read any of these books?  Tell me about them?  What's your favorite?
Amanda